Ayelet Shaked:

'Huge opportunity to escape two-state solution paradigm'

'Palestinian statehood no longer only path to Middle East peace. We think valid peace can be born of strength, from strengthening Yesha'

Mordechai Sones, 21/11/17 11:26

Shaked

Yisrael Bardugo

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked spoke on Monday evening at aconference held by Arutz Sheva and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

"I think that Arutz Sheva symbolizes right-wing, Zionist media, it is one of the leaders I would say, in the field of the Israeli media, and it's not an obvious thing in Israel unfortunately, but Arutz Sheva is definitely the leader. It gives us the power to act and to publicize what we are doing.

"It's a very unique time for us in the Ministry of Justice and in Israel. During the recent months we're actually changing the old rules, the old paradigm regarding the law in Judea and Samaria. We started from the Regulation Law, and we are doing a lot of very important things regarding the settlements in Judea and Samaria, we are finally building 300 units in Beit El, and just this week we approved building 91 houses in Ofra, something that was stuck for a long time. Haresha is another small village that will now be able to be developed after a recent decision of the Attorney General, and we are doing a lot of effort in the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice in order to strengthen our presence in Judea and Samaria.

"I think the government as a whole is doing a really important job, I know that the Minister of Transportation was here, and I'm sure that he spoke about the roads that finally this government approved a budget for those roads. I think that the fact that we have a very friendly administration in the United States is a huge opportunity not to stay in the old paradigm of 'two states'. We know that this solution will not help to strengthen the Jewish State. The Jewish Home, our party, calls always to think out of the box. When we speak with people from the Trump administration, we urge them to think out of the box.

"A Palestinian state is no longer the only solution for peace in the Middle East. We think that a valid peace can be born from a position of strength, from building and strengthening the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and from encouraging economic peace and economic development of the Palestinian Authority.

"So I think we are at a very historical point where we have a very friendly administration in the United States, a right-wing government here in Israel; I think this specific government is making breakthrough in a lot of subjects, in the Judicial system, in the educational system, in transportation; and the fact that you are sitting here in this event - I'd say the vast majority is from the coalition, Knesset members from the coalition, and some Knesset members from the opposition, and I will emphasize two things: One, I will say our appreciation for Arutz Sheva, and the other thing is our appreciation for our good friends from America, and the fact that when we combine forces - forces from Israel and forced from the United States - we can work together on the values we all believe in. Thank you very much."